5/15/11

'Tis the season for celebrations and parties:
First Communions, Confirmations,
Weddings and Commencements,
the end of some things
and the beginning of so much more…

Good times, happy times, joyful times all!
But sometimes, Lord, perhaps, too much:
so many celebrations, one after another
‘til one day's moment's no more special than the last...

Too many parties, too many peaks,
make me yearn for the valleys, Lord,
where things are quieter and, in their own way,
more beautiful in their plain simplicity...

Too many big days make me yearn
for a small day's pace,
freeing me to see and touch what's always there:
the beauty embedded in the everyday,
in the day to day,
in the days that have no special name,
no rhyme or reason for being noticed, save
that such are days that you have made
and in them I rejoice…

In the simplicity of ordinary days, I rejoice...

Draw me down from the heights, Lord,
to the green valleys of your abiding presence,
where what's special is simply the day at hand:
the day I wake to, the day I walk through,
the day I trust to you
when day is done...

Open my mind and heart,
my eyes and ears, my touch,
my imagination and my desires
to the pulse of your presence
in every place I visit,
in every person I meet,
in every breath I take...

This morning, Lord, I offer you my longing
for simpler days,
for quiet, peaceful days,
for days with time to spare for prayer...

And in such ordinary time
help me see the needs of those
who share their days with me,
who reach to care for my needs, too...

Are you thinking about becoming a Catholic?

The best place to start is always one of your local Catholic churches. Drop in some Sunday and see what's going on. Then you might speak to the pastor or someone on the parish staff about how they can help you and respond to your questions.